The Next Book

Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

Adventures past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. 

With an expected release date in March, Joyce and I are heavy on the editing stage for Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder, the third book of the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries. Editing is not nearly as sexy as writing...it's more like slugging through the trenches. Here's the latest from Joyce:

I checked overused words. 

This is my list: gaze (48) move (57) bring, brought, purse, pull, press, reach, went (43) saw (56) felt, watched, thought (123), noticed, knew,

heard (51), decided, and realized. Except for the numbered words, the rest were in the low digits. Did replace/reduce some of the frequently used. BUT was used 312 x. THAT used 274. As I went along, I changed up some that, but ha ha didn't touch the buts. 

Now, the manuscript is back in my court for the next round. No doubt I'll find some words that hit me as overused, but what other stumbling blocks? Maybe...but.

Cornbread, Ribs, and Murder

It’s a rib cook off…with a recipe for murder. 

Nicole Earp and Emma Banefield are celebrating another birthday at the Dulce Inn with the added fun of a rib cook off in the park. Not only are chocolate martinis in their plans, Nic has her heart set on winning the cornbread contest. But as the excitement bakes, someone is stirring up trouble for the inn and its employees. 

Strange occurrences at the Dulce are on the rise. Slashed tires, menacing phone calls, and unsavory characters add a vibe that threatens the sisters’ anticipated fun-filled stay. When the hot-headed hotel owner is caught wielding a bloody letter opener over a dead coworker, the sisters are embroiled in a caper to help the one person who finds their sleuthing as welcomed as a rattlesnake in her bed. But is she innocent? 

The Chocolate Martini Sisters are primed to find out. First, they’ll have to eliminate a host of suspects that includes a dishonest restaurant owner, a jilted girlfriend, an ex-wife, the barkeeper, and a masseuse with a crush. If they can stay off the radar of the surly chief homicide detective long enough, they can put out the fire…unless the killer burns them first.

You can find all of the Chocolate Martini Sisters Mysteries here: THE CHOCOLATE MARTINI SISTERS COZY MYSTERY BOOKS

Life's Adventures

 Blogging about life's adventures and the next book...

That's been my intention, and this year I'll make that happen. Adventures will be past, present, or future. And the next book--as it happens. I hope you'll join me this year.

When my granddaughter was bullied in school, I worried it would leave permanent impressions on her. There's no way of knowing. She seems perfectly healthy and happy now. But it got me thinking about the things that happen in early life and how long we can hang onto a diss or a compliment.

In fourth grade, a teacher used me as an example of why she always let Betty read aloud to us and no one else. She stuck me in front of the class with the book. After several minutes of my unsteady and erratic recitation, she asked me to sit down. Betty was brought back to finish the story. Could that be why I strove to excel in school? Why I made sure in later to life to be glib and outgoing in front of an audience?

In high school, one of my close male friends told me I was cute above the knees, but from the knees down, I was wasted. I avoided dresses after that and love boots to this day.

In the fifth grade, I decided my nose was too big. I declared I was going to get a nose job when I got old enough. My Uncle Dwain did his best to soothe me. He told me I had a regal Roman nose. But in the eighth grade, when talking to a male friend about high school, I stated when I started dating I'd like to date a letterman. He scoffed. He told me my nose was too big to score a letterman. That stuck with me...not what Uncle Dwain said. A side note: phooey on him--I did date a letterman. Of course I found out he wasn't any more special than other high school boys.

So, where am I going with this rambling? Life's adventures can be moments or momentous. How we treat each other, what we say to someone, can possibly affect them forever...or not. One person may crumble. Another might rebel and grow stronger, sending them on a life adventure. But we can't know which. Be careful.

Strong Women of Fact and Fiction #girlpower

 What's Your Definition of a Strong Woman?

Would you define female strength different than male strength? In days gone by, I think we did, but the lines have blurred especially in fiction. Kick-ass women heroines are extremely popular. There are tons of books with female detectives, cops, bodyguards. Girl Power! 

The fact is, even in real life the lines have blurred. Take for instance, FDW and me. For the first thirty-seven years of our marriage, my husband always surprised me with a gift or greeting…surprised because I never remembered the date. Now, that’s just backwards. Women are the sentimental ones, right? Then we moved into a house in Robbinsdale, Minnesota with a new phone number. The phone number ended with 22. At last, something I could relate, make a connection, give me a hint to the date we were married. FDW is mushier than I am. Nowadays, we can admit such things. 

The heroines of my Wild Horse Peaks books have varying degrees of physical strength, but, for me, inner strength makes for a more compelling story: living through the deaths of parents and a husband; standing up to a stalker; facing a Nazi mad-woman; leading a double life to avoid a murderer; surviving abuse. Each woman endures hardships and comes out on the other side with a shining inner strength. Actually, one of them is pretty daring and goes after her stalker with a gun, but she has even more emotional strength. 

So what is your definition of a strong woman? Do you prefer the muscle variety packing a gun? Do the women of the west, enduring hardships and loneliness strike a chord? Do you enjoy reading about heroines whose attitude says everything about strength? 

Brenda Whiteside is the award-winning author of romantic suspense, cozy mystery, and romance. She writes children’s book under the name Brenda Sue. After living in six states and two countries—so far—she and her husband have settled in Central Arizona. They admit to being gypsies at heart so won't discount the possibility of another move. They share their home with a rescue dog named Amigo. While FDW fishes, Brenda writes.

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